Next Rainfall
by PerditaAlottachocolate
Summary: Chat Noir discovers Marinette's unusual habit of walking in the rain. Driven by his curiosity he approaches her and learns it's about a secret of hers. Marinette offers him a deal: for every time he finds her in the rain, she will tell him one detail. And suddenly the next rainfall can't come faster.
1. Curious Kitty

**1\. Curious Kitty**

Chat Noir never particularly liked rain. Maybe it was a cat thing. Maybe it was a model thing. Either way, he'd rather avoid getting wet. Yet here he was, trailing after his pigtailed classmate, as she marched through Paris with pink boots keeping her feet dry and a black umbrella bobbing above her head. She looked happy. He could swear he even saw her jump into a puddle once or twice. He definitely saw her twirl gracefully when she thought no one was watching.

He was intrigued, his curiosity tickling him to find the reason for this ritual. Because it _was_ a ritual. One Marinette was surely dedicated to. The first time he'd caught a glimpse of Marinette's pink boots and dark pigtails as Adrien was when he was passing by in his silver car on his way to another practise. Then, he had spotted her a few times as Chat, walking in the rain with a wide smile and glazed eyes. Spring weather made it easier, with frequent rainfalls and warmer days. Even without his mild aversion to water he just couldn't understand why would she do this. As far as he could tell, there was no particular destination to her walk, no purpose. After some time she just went back home, delighted at her wet shoes and umbrella, humming under her breath.

So that day, against his better judgement, he found himself following Marinette again, with his drenched hair misbehaving even more than in a dry state and his wet tail sloshing miserably behind him. He was sneaky, but somehow she still could blow his cover.

'I can see you, you know,' Chat heard an amused voice. Marinette tapped her foot in a puddle, making splashy noises. She was looking directly at the spot on the roof where he was hiding. 'You can come out now, unless you prefer to stalk me some more.'

Ah. Now that would be creepy. Resigned, he made his way down using the staff as an elevator.

'Hi, fellow citizen,' he winked, letting his flamboyant side to the surface, to mask the fact that he felt embarrassed at getting caught. He collapsed his baton.

'Care to tell me why you are following me?' the girl eyed him up and down. She didn't look angry or scared. He took it as a good sign.

'I'm not…,' on instinct his hand went to the nape of his neck to rub it and caught a handful of wet locks. He winced at the sensation of water dripping down his collar. 'I'm not a creep, I just... ' he sighed, 'I'm curious.'

'Curious?' she cocked a brow.

'Why do you do this?' he finally asked. 'Why do you walk in the rain?'

Marinette leaned in and tapped him on the nose. 'It's a secret,' she whispered with a broad smile.

'As I already told you, this cat is very curious,' he countered without missing a beat. 'Humor me.'

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. She bit her lip hesitantly. 'I suppose I could tell you,' she drawled and he nodded vigorously causing a small shower of droplets around him that earned him an adorable giggle.

'But!' Marinette raised a finger. 'It can't be that easy,' she smiled sweetly. 'Let's make a deal. For every time you find me in the rain I will tell you one detail about it.'

'But _Princesssss_ ,' he lamented. 'I don't like getting wet.' He also hated not to know. And now that he knew there was _a secret_ involved, his curiosity grew even more, like an itch he couldn't scratch.

She shrugged, unabashed. 'Then you can't know my secret.'

'But I want to know your secret,' he whined with a pout. He even scrunched his nose, but the girl seemed unaffected.

'Then you know what you have to do,' Marinette stated in a no nonsense voice. 'See you next rainfall, Chat!' she called with a small wave and turned around to march home.

Suddenly he couldn't wait for another rain to come.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_ _This is a story for the lovely_ _kellarhi_ _on tumblr_ _in exchange for something that is not yet ready but I'm sure is going to be stunning! It was written some time ago, definitely before Troublemaker, which might be important in future chapters._ _  
A huge thank you to_ _Remasa_ _who beta-read this story! Check out her newest fic for ML Fluff Month_ _"Fluttering Feathers, Fluttering Hearts"_ _\- it's adorable!_

 _Now sorry in advance if I don't reply to your reviews right away as I'm leaving for another trip and I have no idea if I'm going to find a decent internet connection. Be patient, I will definitely reply!_

 _For more miraculous content visit me on perditaalottachocolate-blog . tumblr . com. Useful tags: "perdita writes" for my stories and "perdita draws" for art._


	2. First Clue

**2\. First Clue**

It wasn't easy to find her again. After all, he wasn't exactly available every time the skies decided to grace Paris with another rain. And even if he happened to be free at the time, either Marinette didn't go out or she chose different routes. The awareness that she might have been walking somewhere and he couldn't get to her to learn something about her secret was slowly driving him crazy.

When he finally spotted the girl alone in the rain, a week later, he almost pounced on her in relief.

'Here you are!' he exclaimed stepping in front of her.

'Mep!' Marinette squeaked as she collided with his chest. He caught her expertly before she could fall to the wet pavement.

'Sorry,' Chat mumbled. 'I thought you saw me.'

The girl exhaled audibly. 'I wasn't looking,' she admitted. 'I was thinking-'

'About me?' he made a show of flexing his arms and raising his brows.

'Hah!' she snorted. 'You wish.'

Well, he would lie if he said he was opposed to such dreams. But that wasn't the reason he was there, getting wet again.

'Remember our deal?' he murmured as low as he could.

Marinette started at the sound of his voice. 'Y-yeah,' she offered.

'Well?' he cocked a brow and ducked his head expectantly.

'Hmmm,' the girl sent him a studying stare. 'What should I tell you first,' she mused, gnawing at her lower lip.

'Maybe something general,' he offered. 'Like the category of this secret. What is it about?'

Marinette's cheeks turned dark pinkish color at his suggestion. She narrowed her eyes and he took a step back under the weight of her stare.

'But you can tell me anything, really,' he raised his claws protectively in front of him.

The girl tilted her head. 'Actually, it's not a bad idea,' she admitted, her eyes dropping to her pink boots. She twirled the handle of the black umbrella in her hand before adding, 'it's about my crush.'

Chat's eyes bulged comically. 'Your c-crush?' he croaked, feeling the heat crawling to his own cheeks. He had no idea why his treacherous body decided to react like this.

'Yes, Chat,' she confirmed with a short nod. 'My crush. And that's all you're getting out of me today.'

Damn, instead of feeling sated he grew even more curious. That girl was devious, he thought, watching her disappearing around the corner. He heard a telltale splash of boots hitting another puddle and smiled to himself at the sound. That tidbit left him with more questions than answers. How was walking in the rain about her crush? Was she trying to lure them? Was she performing a summoning ritual? Was she just happy after meeting them? And at the back of his head a tiny voice volunteered: _**Who**_ _!_ Who was her crush? His insides twisted anxiously.

'Who is your crush?' he blurted out at her the next day as soon as he caught up with her.

'It's nice to see you too, Chat,' she deadpanned. 'Still no umbrella, I see.'

'What? Oh,' he backpedalled a bit. 'Hi, Marinette!' he gave a little wave.

The girl shot him a lopsided grin. 'It's been killing you, hasn't it?' she asked, not even trying to hide her contentment.

'Yeah,' he sighed in defeat, picking at the end of his tail.

'Well, it was you who suggested it,' she reminded. 'I only followed your idea.'

'I knooooow,' he whined. 'Now, please tell me, who is your crush?' he deployed the kitten eyes.

'Ooooh, heavy artillery, I see,' Marinette chuckled. 'But it seems I'm immune,' her grin widened.

'Please, please, please, Marineeeeeeette~,' he chanted.

'And where would be the fun in that?'

'Fun?' How was this supposed to be fun, he mused. It was torture!

Marinette twirled on her heels and jumped right in the middle of a giant puddle, splashing him as a result. Chat winced with disgust.

'Fun,' she repeated, as he raised his foot and shook it to let the water drip down.

'This is supposed to be fun,' she pursed her lips and fluttered her lashes - a picture of pure innocence, with the devil hiding beneath. 'Or where you thinking I'm just gonna give you my secret without anything in return?'

He hadn't thought about that. 'So this is your price? My suffering?' he sighed dramatically. 'Not only am I getting wet, but also relentlessly teased? Do you have no shame, woman?'

He noticed her cheeks got warmer but she held his gaze. 'I do have some, and that is one of the reasons I'm not going to tell you who my crush is. My offer still stands - one detail every time you find me in the rain. But I won't blame you if you give up,' she shrugged. 'It's not like you _have to_ know my secret,' she suspended her voice.

What a tease, Chat thought. She already got him hooked and she knew it perfectly well. His pride hurt a bit, so he decided not to let her know she won, at least not yet. 'Well then, I need to rethink this whole deal,' he waved a clawed hand at the puddles, the boots and the umbrella.

'Think away,' Marinette sing-sung. 'You know when to find me!' And without waiting for his reaction she sauntered into the next puddle, splashing the water with wide chassés.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thank you for all your lovely reviews, favs and follows. I hope you liked this chapter and you're ready for the next two!_

 _I'll be posting them before the end of August._

 _As usual a huge thank you to Remasa who beta-read this story! Check out her newest fic for ML Fluff Month "Fluttering Feathers, Fluttering Hearts" - it's only getting better and better!_

 _For more miraculous content, including my art visit me on perditaalottachocolate-blog . tumblr . com . Useful tags: "perdita writes" for my stories and "perdita draws" for art._


	3. Patience

**3\. Patience**

It took a week. A week in which he also realized she hadn't given him a second clue. A week in which his curiosity twisted his stomach every time Adrien saw Marinette at school. He observed her closely looking for some hints as to who her crush might be. He registered her interactions with every boy and girl she happened to talk to in his presence. Nothing. He got exactly zero traces. Either she must have been really good at hiding her feelings, or he wasn't lucky enough to witness her interactions with her crush.

After that week he quietly accepted his defeat and came next rainfall Chat Noir was out again, leaping over the rooftops and looking for the familiar combo of pink boots, black umbrella and dark pigtails.

'Well, well, well,' Marinette drawled as she saw him dropping in front of her, and carefully avoiding the puddles. 'Isn't that my favorite feline hero!' she greeted and he couldn't help sticking his chest out a bit, proud that she considered him a favorite of hers.

'Evening, Princess,' he shot her a two finger salute. 'I believe you owe me two clues tonight,' he all but purred leaning in to wiggle his brows at her.

'Two clues? Oh, no, Chat. The deal was one clue at a time,' she chided, shaking her head. 'You have to be patient.'

'Oh, I am extremely patient, believe me,' he shot back. 'But last time you didn't give me a clue after I found you. That's cheating.'

' _Moi?_ Cheating?' she gasped in mock hurt. 'Most certainly not!'

'In that case, two clues, please?' he stuck out two clawed fingers in a V gesture.

'Hmmm, any suggestions for today?' Marinette knitted her brows, as she considered her answer. 'Last time you were very helpful.'

Chat thought about his little investigation. It would allow him to narrow down his research at school, if he knew some more substantial details. 'Is your crush a boy or a girl?' he asked, trying to override his embarrassment with feline bravado.

'You just got yourself some points for not giving into stereotypes, well done,' she winked. 'And my crush is a boy.'

'Yes!' he exclaimed earning a quizzical frown from the girl. He was just happy he could eliminate some potential candidates, but on second thought, he probably shouldn't let her know that he was working on figuring out her secret also outside of his mask. 'I m-mean… thank you.'

'There's nothing to thank me for,' she shrugged. 'Or were you afraid my crush might be Ladybug?'

Chat snorted, but deep down he actually felt relieved. Marinette would be very tough competition if she happened to set her eyes on his spotted partner. 'Yeah, I was afraid that might be the case.'

This came out wrong again. For the second time Marinette eyed him suspiciously, but she quickly shook it off. 'And the second clue?' she prompted.

There were many things he wanted to know, but once again he decided to make his investigation easier and check if his strategy of watching her as a civilian wasn't a waste of time. But he didn't want to alert her as to the extent of his nosiness, so instead of asking if they were in the same school or even class, he went with a more vague, 'Do you see him often?'

The girl considered his question, while delicate blush brushed her cheeks. 'I'd say that yes,' she replied with a timid smile. 'I see him practically every day.'

'Hmmmm,' he hummed.

'Hmmmm?' she parroted. 'Are you trying to figure out who he is now?' she asked, amused.

'Who, me?' He rubbed his neck. 'Pfffft, I'm just a curious cat, is all.'

'A curious cat indeed,' she replied. 'You know what they say about curiosity and cats?'

'Are you saying that your crush is dangerous?' He crossed his arms in front of his chest. 'Because I seriously doubt he could threaten me.'

'And why would you want to compete with him?' she mimicked his stance.

'Who says anything about competing?'

'Well, you just preemptively stated you're better than him,' Marinette pointed out.

'I most certainly did not!' Chat spluttered. 'The saying goes that curiosity killed the cat. I can't see any danger though. The only thing that might kill me here is a cold I might catch while looking for you in this weather. And my comment simply referred to that.'

Marinette looked as if she was holding back a laugh. 'Maybe you should start taking an umbrella with you then?' she asked.

'Can't parkour with an umbrella, Princess,' he countered. 'Anyway, this cat needs to run. Thank you for the clues,' he bowed.

'See you next rainfall,' she giggled.

Those two clues got Adrien only so far. He could exclude the girls, but there were plenty of boys Marinette saw every day. How to make sure he wouldn't miss the right one? After some consideration, he decided to spend more time in Marinette's company. It didn't took much to convince Nino to join the girls for breaks and lunch. The boy was even relieved he didn't need to choose between his bud and his girlfriend. And that left Adrien with a perfect and inconspicuous opportunity to observe (totally _not_ to spy or investigate).

Marinette interacted with plenty of boys, smiling warmingly at every person who approached her, offering advice, encouragement or praise. It was a pleasure to witness her in action, sending everyone on their way in a better mood. No wonder people were drawn to her. She had both charisma and charm, necessary in a leader, but matched with her kind heart, they made her shine like a star.

Still, she treated everyone the same. No playing favorites, no suspicious behavior. He must have been missing something.

'Tell me something more about your crush,' Chat asked next time he found her in the rain.

'He's sensitive,' Marinette replied.

Nathaniel? Nathaniel was sensitive. He was the artistic type, and Marinette was always supportive of him. But it was known that Nath used to have a crush on her, so if she reciprocated his feelings why weren't they a couple? No. It couldn't have been Nathaniel.

'Is your crush good at sports?'

'Yes, most definitely.'

So Kim? But Kim was dating Ondine and Marinette definitely rooted for them. And before that, when the jock was interested in Chloe, their pigtailed classmate supported him. It couldn't have been Kim.

'He's smart.'

Max? Max was the smartest of them all, and he shared gaming interest with Marinette. She was always friendly towards him, and even risked a detention when he had brought Markov to school for the first time. But she never actively sought his company. Max spent more time with Kim and Alix. Nah. It couldn't have been him.

'He's kind.'

Nino. Nino was a very kind person. They knew each other for ages _and_ he also used to have a crush on Marinette. But just one look at the girl as she watched Alya and Nino together dispelled his suspicions. There was so much happiness in Marinette's eyes at the sight of that couple, without a hint of jealousy, that it left no doubts. It couldn't have been Nino.

'He has a talent for music.'

Maybe Ivan? But from what Adrien had heard Marinette was trying to help Ivan confess to Mylene even before Ladybug's assistance. Nah, not Ivan then.

Luka? Marinette always enjoyed his company. He was a fan of Jagged, just like her. And as Adrien had spotted, he was definitely impressed with Marinette. She didn't act different around him, but she was pleased with his compliments. Hmmm, maybe this was the right track.

'How does he look?' Chat finally gathered the courage to ask for a more substantial clue.

Marinette frowned, and he instantly felt guilty. He knew her better than to think she was after looks. Besides, she never mentioned physical appearance, only personality traits. That was more important.

'He is handsome,' she said reluctantly, 'but that's the only detail about his looks I'm willing to share. For all I know you could be stalking me outside of the suit, and apparently I'm quite obvious around him, so knowing how he looks you'd guess right away.'

Only later at home did Adrien realize she unconsciously had given him two clues that night. As to the handsome part - as far as Adrien was concerned beauty was a very relative and personal thing. Every guy he had so far considered was handsome. That could have been basically anyone. But she admitted that she _had been_ acting different around her crush. How could that be, if Adrien hadn't noticed? There was one possibility he hitherto hadn't thought about - Marinette might have been seeing her mysterious boy outside of school. At the bakery, or even before her rainy walks. Maybe that was the reason she was so happy while getting wet? Somehow instead of feeling excited at this new conclusion Adrien felt a heavy weight setting in the pit of his stomach. Why was this making him so nervous?

'Does your crush know about your feelings?' Chat figured this would be the least invasive way of checking, if she had been seeing the boy before her walks.

Yet instead of confirming, Marinette dropped her gaze to her pink boots and shook her head sadly. 'I'm too shy to talk to him about this,' she confessed. 'So no, he doesn't know.'

Shy? He always thought Marinette was a very brave girl, and the few times he had witnessed her facing a difficult or dangerous situation, she always kept her cool. It was hard to imagine her not having the courage to do anything. But maybe her crush's presence made her tongue-tied, like he sometimes felt as Adrien when encountering Ladybug?

Still, he felt a bit sorry for her. Somewhere out there was that oblivious boy, who got the heart of a wonderful girl, and instead of making her happy, he hadn't noticed what was right in front of him. What a fool, Adrien thought. How that boy could not see someone as amazing as Marinette?

He decided he needed to find that idiot and knock some sense into him. Marinette deserved to be treated like a Princess. She deserved to be adored, loved and cherished. So he, or rather Chat, would not rest until she got who she wanted.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I'm really glad you like my little Marichat fluffy fic. Thank you for all your reviews, favs and follows!  
If you like my writing, check out my Adrinette oneshot for "wish" prompt: __"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"_ _._

 _As usual a huge thank you to_ _Remasa_ _who beta-read this story! She constantly works on her Gabrielie & Adrinette fic for ML Fluff Month __"Fluttering Feathers, Fluttering Hearts"_ _\- I can definitely recommend those last few chapters, they're adorable!_

 _For more miraculous content, including my art visit me on perditaalottachocolate-blog . tumblr . com . Useful tags: "perdita writes" for my stories and "perdita draws" for art._


	4. Umbrella

**4\. Umbrella**

So after many days of following Marinette in the rain he still was in the dark. Chat actually ran out of things he could ask about Mr. Mysterious Crush. The biggest part of that mystery, at least to him, was how someone so kind, smart and talented as Marinette claimed him to be, could at the same time have been so blind and ungrateful? With every passing day instead of liking the guy Marinette was obviously infatuated with, he developed a low-key distaste towards that unknown boy.

He needed to find the guy soon, or he would end up really hating him. He would rather not, considering he planned to be as supportive of Marinette's relationship as he had seen her with their friends, even if the thought of her dating someone made him feel uneasy. That required a change of strategy.

'You know, I've learned a lot about this secret boy of yours,' Chat supplied. 'But I totally forgot about the main reason I even asked about him in the first place.'

That was true. He was so fixed on Marinette's crush that he hadn't noticed when the focus shifted from the initial topic to some stupid, oblivious boys.

'You forgot about what?' she asked, twirling the umbrella in her hands. He noticed she brushed the handle with great care and reverence. Yeah, he really should have paid more attention to other details than that boy's many qualities.

'About the reason you walk in the rain,' he pointed out. 'How is your walking in the rain connected to that secret?'

Marinette's lips stretched in a charming smile. Her eyes lit up and her cheeks warmed, brushed with pink shade.

That's how love looks like, he thought. The sight stirred something in his heart. He knew he chose the question well.

'So?' he quirked a brow, prompting her to answer.

She leaned in to whisper into his ear, 'I fell in love with him in the rain on the first day I met him.'

Quite unexpectedly her words sent Chat's thoughts straight to the first day Adrien met Marinette. That had been a very intense day. First time in school, the gum incident, first friends, Stoneheart, Hawkmoth, his first lessons ending in… _rain_.

His heart stuttered. Could this be… it could, couldn't it?

Strange warmth filled him at that thought. He had never contemplated that _he_ might have been her crush. Of course he had never noticed her acting differently around other people. He had always been there! He was good at sports, he had a talent for music, he was handsome. Chat blushed, recalling other adjectives she had used. Kind, sensitive, smart. Was it really him? The sheer possibility she thought so highly of him made him feel dizzy enough to stagger and stomp into a giant puddle.

'Awww, _Chaaaat!_ You splashed water into my boots,' Marinette complained, oblivious of his shock. 'Now I need to get rid of it. Hold this,' she ordered and pushed the handle of her umbrella into his unresisting claws. She put one hand on the lamppost to keep herself upright, and then took off her pink boot. 'Be careful,' she instructed as he took a hold on the handle with his shaking hand. 'It tends to-

SNAP!

The umbrella closed over his head.

'-close itself when you press the button like that,' Marinette finished with a smirk in her voice.

Enveloped in the waterproof darkness he returned to the rain of the first day of school. Him offering his umbrella to her. Their fingers brushing. Her taking the handle. The thunder rolling in the distance. The canopy snapping over her. He remembered how funny Marinette had looked and imagined how ridiculous he probably looked now, an umbrella-headed leather-clad pair of legs with a tail.

Chat couldn't help it. The laughter rose from his chest in a myriad of happy bubbles and spilled from his lips before he could suppress it. It was the same laughter he uttered on the school stairs at the sight of Marinette trapped inside his umbrella.

Her giggles stopped abruptly at this outburst.

He peeked from under the rim of the canopy, uncertain of what had caused this.

She was staring at him, eyes wide, mouth agape. Her questioning gaze skipped over his figure and to his face, to his eyes.

'There's one more clue left,' she rasped, staring at him intently.

Just like that first day he watched her in silence and waited.

'This is his umbrella,' Marinette whispered.

 _His umbrella_.

He gasped, trying to find his voice, but nothing came out of his throat.

Marinette made a step towards him. He opened the umbrella not taking his eyes off her.

'Do you already know my secret?' she asked.

Chat nodded, not trusting his voice.

She raised her hands to his face, her fingers tracing over the edge of his mask and brushing the hair out of his forehead.

'This is your umbrella.'

That wasn't a question, but a statement. A confession. A conclusion.

That was the umbrella of the boy she had fallen in love with in the rain. The boy who had been oblivious, but kind and caring enough to capture the heart of this amazing girl. The boy foolish enough not to realize what treasure was offered to him. The boy who needed to have some sense knocked into him.

That had been Adrien all along. That was his umbrella.

At that the veil of secrets lifted and he could finally see it and recognize it for what it was. That twisting of his stomach, that unease and jealousy, that curiosity fuelling him to trail after her, that fluttering of his heart as he leaped in the rain to find her. He wasn't the oblivious boy anymore.

'Want to know my secret?' Chat whispered softly. He felt his cheeks reddening, but he soldiered on. He offered the handle to her, but when she took it, he didn't pull away his hand, but wrapped it over her palm.

'It just took a bit longer to realize, ' he pressed a feather-light kiss to her other hand and murmured against her skin. 'but I've fallen in love in the rain too.'

* * *

 _AN: And that's all there is to this story. I hope you enjoyed this fluffy Marichat. Please, let me know!_

 _Thank you for all your comments, reviews, favs and follows. I am amazed at the reception this fic got. Hopefully I'll be back soon with more miraculous stories, starting with an update on "Dear Ladybug", and an entirely new multichapter after that._

 _A shout out to the wonderful Remasa for beta-reading this, and helping me out! And I strongly recommend you check out her fics for Fluff Month: "Fluttering Feathers, Fluttering Hearts" and "Autograph Session", which is a sequel to "Miraculously in Concert"._

 _For more miraculous content, including my art and writing visit me on perditaalottachocolate-blog . tumblr . com . Useful tags: "perdita writes" for my stories and "perdita draws" for art._


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